Spicy Roasted Cauliflower and Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Onion-Apple Puree

Cauliflower and quinoa have been "trendy" for years now, but that doesn't mean they aren't delicious. It certainly doesn't mean that they shouldn't be part of a good effort to eat healthier. The year is still pretty "new," so if you've resolved to eat better this year, a dish like this is a good place to start.

Despite how popular quinoa has been in recent years, it is, frankly, a little boring. I do two things to make it more interesting: 1) I've been buying "rainbow" quinoa, a mix of white, red and black quinoa that makes the seed more visually striking, and 2) I toast my quinoa before I cook it, which gives it a nuttier flavor.

And roasting cauliflower is the best way to cook it. We enjoyed a wonderful side of it at Kat & Theo recently. It really takes away that slight bitter pungency and replaces it with someone wonderfully savory and slightly sweet.

Beyond those two ingredients, this is a versatile dish you could prepare many ways. I went with chicken, red pepper and toasted pumpkin seeds and a good spice profile. The sauce of sautéed apple and onion pureed with lemon and honey adds a good rich sweetness without overpowering the ingredients.

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower and Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Onion-Apple Puree

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 pinches of chipotle chili powder
Salt, to taste
3/4 cup quinoa, white, red or rainbow, rinsed
1 1/4 cup water, plus 1 tbsp.
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
Pinch of ground cloves
1 onion, diced
1 apple (I used pink lady), peeled, and cut into thin (1/8 inch) pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wide slices
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Sriracha (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. Toss cauliflower florets with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. ground cumin, a pinch of chipotle chili powder and salt, to taste. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and roast until browned, about 30 minutes, tossing the florets a bit after the first 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

3. Set a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast until they quinoa pops and allow to pop for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and keep covered for another 10 minutes. Remove the lid and stir to fluff. Set aside.

4. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts, season with 1 tsp. ground cumin, a pinch of chipotle chili powder, a pinch of ground cloves and salt, to taste. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then turn over and continue cooking the other sides about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, leave the oil and other drippings in the pan and increase heat to medium-high. To the remaining oil, add the onion and apple, season with salt and sauté until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

5. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the red pepper, season with salt and sauté until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes.

6. Transfer the onion and apple mixture to a tall container. Add 1 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp. water and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Puree the mixture into a chunky puree using an immersion blender. Alternatively, transfer the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until it forms a chunky puree.

7. In a large bowl, combine the roasted cauliflower, cooked quinoa, sautéed chicken, sautéed bell peppers, apple-onion puree and pumpkin seeds. Stir to combine. Serve in large bowls topped with a squirt of sriracha (if desired).

Curry-Roasted Cauliflower and Celery Quinoa Bowl

Did you have a good Thanksgiving? We certainly did. We're also stuffed and desperately in need of some of those more virtuous dishes that are supposed to provide the balance in the balanced-diet. So before we march forth with Christmas cookies, holiday get-together cocktails and other assorted year-end treats, let's pause and have something healthy--yet still quite delicious.

If you've never had cauliflower roasted, I suggest you get yourself a head of the slightly bitter branch-like vegetable and preheat that oven. It's really good when cooked this way (see the related recipe links below for other roasted-cauliflower dishes). Here I've tossed it with curry and other seasonings and served it in a grain bowl with quinoa, spinach, dried cranberries and cashews.

Curry-Roasted Cauliflower and Celery Quinoa Bowl

2-3 cups baby spinach greens
1 head of cauliflower (I used orange "cheddar" cauliflower)
1 bunch of stalk celery (flavorful farmers market celery is recommended)
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup rainbow quinoa (may use other colors), rinsed
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 red onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp. honey
Sriracha (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F with two oven racks evenly spaced about 1/3 of the way from the top and bottom of the oven.

2. Place the spinach greens in a large bowl.

3. Remove the cauliflower core and discard it; cut the rest of the cauliflower into florets and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. of olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat the florets. Spread florets in an even layer on a baking sheet.

4. Remove the celery stalks and cut off both ends (discard the ends). Cut the stalks on an angle into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long. Transfer to a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive, salt and pepper and toss to coat the celery pieces. Spread celery in an even layer on a baking sheet.

5. Roast the cauliflower and celery until lightly browned around the edges, about 30 minutes, stirring both after about 15 minutes. When they come out of the oven, immediately add to the bowl with the spinach, which will make the spinach wilt a bit.

6. While the vegetables roast, make the quinoa: Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is fragrant and makes a popping sound almost continuously, about 5 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl.

7. Add butter to saucepan and, when melted, add the onions and garlic. Season with a little salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the water and toasted quinoa and bring to a simmer. Cover the saucepan, reduce heat to low and cook for 18 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the quinoa.

8. Add the quinoa to the bowl with the spinach, cauliflower and celery. Add the cashews, dried cranberries, lemon juice and honey. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Serve in bowls topped with Sriracha, if desired.

Related

Agave-Mezcal Chicken and Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Mustard Greens Salad with Roasted Cauliflower, Almonds, Grapes and Chicken

Modernist Mac & Cheese with Bacon and Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower, Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

Green Bean Salad with Almonds and Quinoa

It's no secret that a traditional Thanksgiving dinner isn't exactly a paragon of healthy eating. There are a lot of carbs and a lot of fat. It's the only meal of the year where I literally go through pounds of butter.

While I'm not about to ditch all the traditional favorites--I believe that a rich Thanksgiving dinner can balance with normal healthy eating--that's not to say that a low-calorie side dish isn't welcome to the party.

Enter this Green Bean and Quinoa salad, adapted from a recipe I found from the Wandering Spice blog. This is simple, vegetarian side that adds a nice bright and green element to the Thanksgiving table.

Green Bean Salad with Almonds and Quinoa
Adapted from Quick Green Bean and Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds and Lemon-Yogurt Dressing by Wandering Spice

Note: You'll only need 1/3 cup of pre-cooked quinoa. I usually make a cup, use 1/3 for this recipe and save the rest for salads, as a base for stews, or mixed into brothy soups. You'll also end up with extra yogurt dressing, which is the perfect match with raw veggies.

1/3 cup cooked quinoa
400g (roughly a little more than 3/4 lb.) green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/3 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. Add 1/3 cup of the cooked quinoa to a large bowl; save the rest of the quinoa for other uses (see note above).

2. Place a steamer basket in a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water (make sure the bottom of the basket doesn't touch the water) and set over high heat to bring to a boil. Once the water boils, add the green beans and steam until they are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the beans from the steamer and rinse with cold water until chilled. Transfer to the large bowl.

3. Toast the chopped almonds in a small frying pan over medium-low heat until they begin to brown, then remove from pan and add to the large bowl with the green beans and quinoa.

4. Combine the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh dill, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the green beans and quinoa mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Quinoa Salad with Chicken and Vegetables

Do you find it a struggle to eat healthy? It can be difficult, especially if you do a lot of traveling. Fresh fruit and vegetables can seem rather scarce when you're on the road. When you get back home, it's a good time to dig into something delicious but also more virtuous.

Grain salads are perfect for this. This quinoa salad was inspired by a recent lunch at Spring Street Natural, a cafe in Soho where Chris and I like to go for lunch after a morning of shopping and gallery hopping.

This recipe is quite versatile. Consider it more like a suggestion. The combination of the cashews, avocado and quick-pickled onion are what make it special, but you could use other pickles, other nuts, other vegetables, etc.

Quinoa Salad with Chicken and Vegetables
Inspired by the Organic Rainbow Quinoa Salad at Spring Street Natural, with quick onion technique from The Kitchn

Makes 3 dinner portions

Pickled onion:
2 cups water
1/2 red onion, cut into thin slivers
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Quinoa:
3/4 cup rainbow quinoa (may use other colors of quinoa), rinsed under cold water
1 cup water

Chicken:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Other salad ingredients:
2 cups baby arugula leaves
1/2 cucumber, partially peeled, seeded and chopped (see note) into 1/2 inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1/4 cup roasted unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, cut into thin ribbons
2 tsp. aleppo pepper flakes
1/4 cup small feta cheese cubes

Dressing:
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. honey
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


Note: To partially peel cucumber, use a vegetable peeler to cut parallel stripes along the side of the cucumber.

1. Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Place onions in a mesh sieve and slowly pour the boiling water over the onions. Add the onions to a jar or other small container. Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt until the latter two ingredients are dissolved and then add to the container with the onions. Allow the onions to pickle for at least 30 minutes (you can set them out on the counter for this time, but if you're going to let them pickle longer, I suggest putting them in the refrigerator).

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa (it's okay if it's still damp from rinsing) and toast, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa makes a frequently popping sound, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 18 to 20 minutes until the quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and keep covered for about 5 minutes. Remove lid, stir and allow to cool a bit.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Pat the chicken breast cutlets dry and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes, turning halfway. Set aside on a cutting board to cool a bit, then cut the chicken into cubes.

4. In a large salad bowl, combine arugula, cucumber, avocado, cashews, pepitas, mint, aleppo pepper and feta cheese. Drain the pickled onions and add then the bowl. Add the cooked chicken and quinoa. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Toss to combine and serve in large shallow bowls.

Loaded Quinoa Bowl

If you live in Washington, D.C., I hope you've gotten to try Beefsteak, José Andrés' vegetable-focused fast-casual restaurant located on the George Washington University campus. Shortly after I visited it a few months ago, I was inspired to make a sugar snap pea salad. More recently, after seeing Andrés quinoa bowl recipe in Food & Wine magazine, I was inspired again to revisit the Beefsteak approach.

What I like about the Vegetable Quinoa Bowls with Garlic Yogurt recipe is the combination of lightly cooked and raw ingredients tossed together with a grain (or seed, in this case, since the base is quinoa). I used a similar combination of ingredients but added a few of my own and left out the lettuce and garlic yogurt--my bowl had enough going on with the honey-lemon dressing.

I also used a combination of white and red quinoa--mostly because I had just a little bit of red left in a bag I wanted to use up--but I like the resulting color contrast. Feel free to use just one color.

Loaded Quinoa Bowl
Inspired by Vegetable Quinoa Bowls with Garlic Yogurt by José Andrés, Food & Wine

Kale chips:
12 kale leaves, thin part removed from stem (stems discarded) and torn into 2-inch pieces
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Quinoa:
3/4 cups white or red (or a mix) quinoa, rinsed (it's okay if it's still a little damp from rinsing; it will dry out quickly in the hot pan)
1 cup water

Cooked ingredients:
1/2 lb. green beans, ends trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 zucchini, cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices

Raw ingredients:
1 beefsteak tomato, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 cucumber, partially peeled, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
2 tbsp. unsalted toasted pumpkin seeds

Dressing:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. honey (substitute agave nectar to make the recipe vegan)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Roast the kale chips: Preheat oven to 250 F. Spread kale leaves evenly across two baking sheets. Toss or spray with olive oil. Season with seasoned salt and pepper. Bake until dried and wilted, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Cook the quinoa: Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is fragrant and makes a popping sound almost continuously, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the seeds are just tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pan to sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Cooked ingredients: Bring a medium saucepan half-filled with water to boil. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and zucchini, and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.

4. Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the kale chips, quinoa, green beans, onion, garlic, zucchini, tomato, cucumber, avocado in  large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetable-grain mixture. Toss to combine. Serve in large bowls.

Related

No Beef with Beefsteak

Crunchy Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Lemon, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto

The seasonal flavors of spring are a dramatic change from winter. We go from the rich, heavy flavors of meaty dishes simmered for hours to the bright, green flavors of vegetables often barely cooked. Spring food is refreshing because it is bright and light.

To maintain a light dish, it's essential not to bury it in layers of butter and cream. This is where Greek yogurt is such a wonderful ingredient. It imparts tangy creaminess without adding a lot of calories and fat.

For this dish, I thought of a spring pasta with pesto, asparagus and chicken, but instead of pasta served it with protein-rich quinoa. Mint, a herb available year-round but that I feel is most at home during spring, gives the pesto bold flavor, and the dollop of Greek yogurt, when mixed into the dish, adds guilt-free richness. When using Greek yogurt in this manner, it's important to add it last, after the dish has been removed from the heat. You don't want to cook it, as it will separate and basically vanish, especially the nonfat variety.

Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto

1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup Greek yogurt

Pesto:
2 cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. Soak quinoa in water for 15 minutes. Drain and cook according to package directions. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and add to pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool a bit then chop into 3/4-inch cubes.

3. Add the onion to the pan the chicken was cooked in (add additional olive oil if the pan drippings are less than a tablespoon or two). Cook over medium heat until the oven softens, about 5 minutes, then add the asparagus and garlic. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the warm quinoa, cooked chicken and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Stir together the lemon zest and Greek yogurt in a small bowl.

5. To make the pesto: combine mint, parsley, hazelnuts, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Replace the lid and turn the machine on. Using the feed tube, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the grated parmesan.

6. To serve, place about a cup and a half of the quinoa mixture in a shallow bowl. Top with a dollop of lemony Greek yogurt and a dollop of hazelnut-mint pesto.

Basic Quinoa Pilaf

What Bon Appetit did for rice last year, America's Test Kitchen has now done for quinoa. This recipe is fantastically good.

Plain quinoa has always seemed rather boring to me. And I never really loved the texture after the traditional cooking method, basically cooking it almost like you would rice in a lot of water. It's easy to overcook so it comes out mushy, and it's pretty bland so you have to add a lot of other ingredients to build flavor.

This recipe, which appeared recently on CNN Eatocracy, is relatively simple and amazing good. The quinoa is first dry-toasted, which gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. Then it's cooked in just slightly more water than quinoa (the Bon Appetit rice method that I love similarly uses less water--interesting) and finished with fresh herbs and lemon juice. Butter and sautéed onion add their flavor magic too.

Basic Quinoa Pilaf
Adapted from Quinoa Pilaf with Herbs and Lemon, by America's Test Kitchen for CNN Eatocracy

Serves 2

3/4 cups quinoa, rinsed (it's okay if it's still a little damp from rinsing; it will dry out quickly in the hot pan)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 sweet onion, chopped fine
Large pinch of salt
7/8 cup of water (i.e. not quite a cup)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is fragrant and makes a popping sound almost continuously, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl.

2. Turn down the heat under the empty saucepan to medium-low. Add the butter; when melted, add the onion and salt and cook until the onion is softened and starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Turn heat back up to medium-high, add the water and toasted quinoa and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the seeds are just tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pan to sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff quinoa and stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley.

Pressure-Cooked Quinoa Salad with Cauliflower

In addition to setting a resolution to use my pressure cooker more this year, I also vowed to spend more time with my collection of cookbooks, like Modernist Cuisine at Home, Nathan Myhrvold's beautiful work that applies molecular gastronomy techniques to recipes for home cooks (it's the much shorter, simpler partner to the professionals' Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking).

You won't get very far with Modernist Cuisine at Home unless you have either a pressure cooker or a sous vide machine (or both). When I got the book, I had neither. I made the macaroni & cheese, but after that realized I needed a pressure cooker if I was going to make many of the other recipes.

This recipe for quinoa salad with cauliflower is one of the book's most accessible dishes. There's really only two "tricks" employed here: grate the cauliflower so it resembles couscous and cook the quinoa in the pressure cooker.

Quinoa cooks in a pressure cooker in the fraction of the time to boil or simmer it in a saucepan.

Why cook the quinoa this way? It saves time. It took about 10 minutes to boil the quinoa in Ginger-Hoisin Salmon with Quinoa Pilaf, not counting the time to boil the water, and about 35 minutes total cooking time to soak, boil and simmer the quinoa for Roasted Parsnip-Quinoa Salad. In this recipe, once up to pressure, the quinoa cooks in 4 minutes.

Use a mandolin to slice off just the tips of the cauliflower florets, creating a pile of couscous-like bits.

Otherwise, the rest of this dish is typical salad ingredients--diced apple, toasted pine nuts, parsley, currants--and a tangy vinaigrette dressing. The recipe calls for honey vinegar and macadamia nut oil for the dressing. Finding neither at the grocery store, I substituted white balsamic vinegar as suggested, along with walnut oil (if you can't find white balsamic vinegar, I imagine white wine vinegar or even apple cider vinegar would also be good).

Be careful with the mandolin as you prepare the cauliflower, since you can't use the safety guard to perform the task of shaving the tips of the cauliflower into a pile of little crumbs.

Pressure-Cooked Quinoa Salad with Cauliflower
Adapted from Modernist Cuisine at Home, by Nathan Myhrvold

3 cups water
1 3/4 cups white quinoa
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets
1 green apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup diced celery (about 2 ribs)
1/4 cup dried currants
2 1/2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (original recipe called for honey vinegar, which I couldn't find, but said white balsamic could be substituted)
2 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. walnut oil (original recipe called for macadamia nut oil)
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste (I used fresh juice from 1/2 lemon)

1. Place a baking sheet in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.

2. Combine water and quinoa in a pressure cooker. Seal the pressure cooker, set desired pressure to "high" and bring to pressure over medium-high heat. Once high pressure is achieved, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 4 minutes, maintaining high pressure. Depressurize the pressure cooker by running cold water over the lid. Transfer the quinoa to the chilled baking sheet to cool quickly.

3. Toast the pine nuts in a small nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Using a mandoline on its smallest setting (1/16-inch on mine), carefully shave off just the tips of the cauliflower, yielding about 1 3/4 to 2 cups of couscous-like cauliflower shavings.

5. Combine the cooked quinoa, toasted pine nuts, shaved cauliflower, apple, parsley, celery and currants in a large bowl. Add the vinegar, oils, salt and lemon juice and toss to combine.

Tilapia with Quinoa, Sugar Snap Peas, Corn and Roasted Tomatoes

Recently,  a coworker shared a quinoa pilaf recipe that had an element I was really excited about: roasted tomatoes. By now, farmers markets have "hot house" tomatoes, a.k.a. greenhouse or indoor tomatoes. They aren't as good as ripe, outdoor grown tomatoes that will be arriving in mid-summer; however, they are still worlds better than the artificially "ripened" grocery store tomatoes from Florida.

These are greenhouse (aka "hot house") tomatoes, but can you tell? They are beautifully red inside, juicy and sweet.

Although I usually wait for the real deal to get my annual tomato fix, the farmer at my neighborhood market assured me his hot house tomatoes are worthwhile and he's right, they are awfully good.

Anyway, I'm off track. So my coworker shared this amazing quinoa recipe, from which I've adapted elements for this dish, primarily the tomatoes. A sprinkle of brown sugar augments their sweetness. They would be great spread on toasted Italian bread or tossed with pasta.

I had sugar snap peas, so I tossed those in along with some corn for color and just because I think corn goes great with fish. A sprinkle of basil pulls it all together.

Tilapia with Quinoa, Sugar Snap Peas, Corn and Roasted Tomatoes
Elements inspired by Heather's Quinoa Recipe, 101 Cookbooks

2 fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 lb. sugar snap peas, strings removed and halved
1 shallot, minced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
Seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper

3/4 lb. tilapia fillets
2 tbsp. fresh basil ribbons

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add tomatoes to a 9 x 9 glass baking dish (do not cook tomatoes in uncoated aluminum cookware, as their acid will dissolve the metal), toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil, brown sugar and salt. Roast for about 35-40 minutes. Set aside (can be made ahead and then reheated in the microwave).

2. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil. Add quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil, add snap peas and cook 3 minutes. Drain and place peas in ice water bath.

4. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan. Add shallot and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn and cook another 5 minutes. Add blanched snap peas and cooked quinoa season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until heated through.

5. Preheat broiler with oven rack in highest position. Place tilapia fillets on lined, oiled baking sheet and broil 8 minutes, rotating pan every 2 minutes and flipping fillets after the first 4 minutes.

6. Serve quinoa in bowls, topped with tilapia and spoon tomatoes over fish with a sprinkle of basil on top.

Ginger-Hoisin Salmon with Quinoa Pilaf

In my continuing quest for good salmon dishes, I came across The Lovely Pantry's Hoisin Salmon with Quinoa and Zucchini. Quinoa is very popular these days, a crunchy whole grain that is supposed to be very good for you. It can be a bit bland on its own, but tossed with other good ingredients it adds wonderful texture. I liked the idea of pairing it with salmon as well as giving an Asian flavor with hoisin sauce.

For the quinoa, I decided to turn it into a pilaf, adding sweet onion, red pepper and corn. For the salmon, I switched to broiling, which is my preferred method for cooking salmon, and also added another Asian flavor--fresh ginger. The basil was just because it was hanging around the kitchen, but it went nicely with the quinoa and vegetables.


Salmon with Quinoa Pilaf
Inspired by The Lovely Pantry's Hoisin Salmon with Quinoa and Zucchini

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (may substitute vegetable broth)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium (or 1/2 of a large) sweet onion, diced
1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (may use frozen)
Seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
3/4 lb. salmon fillet with skin
Olive oil spray
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. basil, cut into thin ribbons

1. Heat quinoa and chicken broth in a medium (2.5 qt.) saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. While quinoa cooks, in a large (12-inch) frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini and red pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add corn and continue sautéing another 10 minutes. Season with seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Add to quinoa once it has simmered for 10 minutes and continue to simmer another 5-7 minutes until the chicken broth has mostly absorbed.

3. Position oven rack to 4-5 inches from the broiler and heat. Put salmon fillet skin-side down on a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with olive oil. Spray salmon with additional oil and smear grated ginger on flesh side of salmon. Season with seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Broil for 5 minutes, flip salmon over and broil another 4 minutes. Remove from oven. Discard salmon skin and, if desired, scrape off the grey fatty part. Flip salmon over again so the side with the ginger is up. Put hoisin sauce in a small microwave dish (like a Pyrex ramekin) and heat for 5 seconds to thin it out a bit. Spread over salmon and broil for another minute. Remove from oven and slice in half.

4. Serve a few large spoonfuls of quinoa pilaf in a shallow bowl topped with a piece of broiled salmon and a sprinkling of fresh basil chiffonade (not pictured, because I forgot to add it before the photos, but we ate it!).